


Equidistant

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, M/M, Post Episode tag: s04e06 Tabula Rasa, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-06
Updated: 2007-11-06
Packaged: 2018-01-10 19:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1163799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>John inclines his head and glares at him, because it's what they do, but he really just wants to get away.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Equidistant

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to neevebrody for the beta!

He quietly walks over to where Katie lies. Rodney's there, sitting by her bedside. He talks about what happened and about their solution. Katie asks about the plant that rescued them. Rodney falters. Katie strokes his hand and smiles and tells him it's okay, she'll take a look when she gets out of here.

John doesn't want to disturb them, but then Katie suddenly notices him. She looks up and Rodney's gaze follows hers.

"Sheppard," he blurts out and looks John up and down.

John shifts, feeling self-conscious in the white hospital gown.

"You're awake. Finally," Rodney teases.

John inclines his head and glares at him, because it's what they do, but he really just wants to get away.

"You feel better?" he asks Katie, because he cannot simply leave now.

"Yes, thank you," she says and looks at Rodney with a blinding smile.

John's not sure if he can take it.

But Rodney's smiling at him now. "Should you be walking around?" he asks with a hint of concern.

"I...just wanted to see if everything was all right." He looks over at Katie as if his concern had been for her.

"Yeah, we're okay," Rodney says and puts his hand on hers. John tries hard not to visibly wince and forces a smile to his face.

"Good. I'll just go lie back down." He points to his bed.

"Hey, why don't you move to that bed?" Rodney says, pointing at an empty bed next to Katie's.

John stares at him and then glances at Katie. She looks a bit confused, but then she smiles, still frowning, apparently accepting it as one of Rodney's weird ideas.

John wants to tell him, _No, Rodney, I cannot move to that bed. You cannot just sit between us and we simply share you._ But he doesn't. Instead, he says, "Nah, I'm okay," leaving before Rodney can say anything else.

Later Rodney comes to his bedside.

"Katie's resting," he says, as if he has to explain why he left her for a moment. Or, maybe he thinks that John cares.

John doesn't say anything.

Rodney looks around. There are only a few beds in the infirmary still occupied. "You _have_ taken this worse than the others. Are you all right?"

John looks up at him. He wants to say, _I woke up and people were dead and you weren't here._ What he really says is, "I'm fine."

Rodney frowns, almost as if he senses that something isn't quite right. Then he yawns.

"Should _you_ be up and walking around?" John asks.

"Just a bit tired," Rodney says. "I think I'll just crash in one of the empty beds. In case something..." he trails off.

John nods and turns over in his bed. He doesn't want to see Rodney walking back to Katie.

When John wakes up a bit later, his gaze falls on the bed next to him. Rodney's lying there. John smiles. Then he frowns.

There are many more empty beds. He's tired, but he can't help himself. He gets out of bed to check the bed next to Katie's. It's empty. He doesn't see any reason Rodney couldn't have chosen that bed to sleep in.

"John?"

He turns around and Rodney is there, wide-eyed with worry.

"I woke up and you weren't there. Is everything all right?"

John watches him, sees the worry in his eyes as he scans John's face. Rodney hasn't looked over at Katie's bed _once_.

"Yeah," he says and walks back to his bed.

Rodney gets back into the bed next to his, muttering something about sleepwalking.

A small smile plays on John's face but doesn't quite break free.

Sometimes he wishes Rodney really did only have eyes for Katie.

And sometimes he wishes he could tell Rodney the things he really wants to say.

He knows that neither is going to happen.

He'll just have to learn to live with it.


End file.
